Elijah

The name that is transliterated as “Elijah” in English means “God-LORD,” “strength of the LORD,” “my God is YHWH.” “the LORD God.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “whirlwind” (according to 2 Kings 2:11) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elijah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Click or tap here to see how other sign languages are translating “Elijah”

In American Sign Language it is translated with a depiction of being taken up to heaven with a chariot of fire. (Source: ASL Sign Language Directory )


“Elijah” in American Sign Language (source )

Likewise in Estonian Sign Language, but with a different sign (source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff.)


“Elijah” in Estonian Sign Language (source )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “fire” (referring to 1 Kings 18:38). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Elijah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a Russian Orthodox icon of Elijah from the late 13h century.

 
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Elijah .

complete verse (1 Kings 18:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 18:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Ahab saw Elijah, he immediately said to him, ‘So you the one who has brought to the land of Israel all this trouble/suffering?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As soon as he saw Elijah, Ahab said, "Are you not the one who gives Israel trouble?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When- Ahab -saw Elias, he said, ‘Is that really you, troubler/destroyer of Israel?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When he saw Elijah, he said to him, ‘Is that you, the one who causes trouble for the people of Israel?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 18:17

Just as Obadiah’s question in verse 7 was a rhetorical question, so also is Ahab’s question here. Good News Translation, and similarly New Jerusalem Bible, turns this into an exclamation, which better expresses in English the sense of the rhetorical question.

You troubler of Israel: Troubler renders a Hebrew participle. According to Holladay, the verb root means “to make someone taboo” or “to cut someone off someone (from social life).” Compare New Jerusalem Bible: “you scourge of Israel.” According to the Hebrew lexicon by Brown, Driver and Briggs (BDB), the verb means “to stir up,” “to disturb,” or “to trouble.” New American Bible says “you disturber of Israel.” De Vries translates “you, O Israel’s hex,” while Moffatt says “You the ruin of Israel.” Whichever understanding of the basic meaning is followed, the sense is not greatly different. Ahab refers to Elijah as someone whose behavior causes troubles or problems for the people of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Kings 18:17

18:17a When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him,

As soon as he saw Elijah, Ahab said to him,
-or-
When he saw Elijah, he immediately exclaimed,

18:17b “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

“Is it you (sing) , the one who brings trouble on Israel?”
-or-
“So there you (sing) are, the man who has caused/made so many problems for Israel!”

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